1957 bias-ply style radial tire pressure

[farmerdick]

1957 with bias-ply style radials. What would be a suitable tire pressure for this car to prevent premature wearing of tread?

Thank you
Richard

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[zeroroadkill]

It should say the max tire pressure on the side of the tire. I believe it’s 35#. I would guess 28#-32# would work for bias ply. Personal I’d do 32# if you keep those bias ply tires, but I would replace them with Coker radials. Much better handling and ride! ?

 

[farmerdick]

It should say the max tire pressure on the side of the tire. I believe it’s 35#. I would guess 28#-32# would work for bias ply. Personal I’d do 32# if you keep those bias ply tires, but I would replace them with Coker radials. Much better handling and ride! ?

They are radial tires. I guess i thought that there would be something different than what the stamping on the tire would be and disregard the tire pressure label on the car. I`ll go with the 28# front and 32# rear.
Thank you

 

[Pink T-Bird]

I have those tires and run 28 all around. Have put almost 3,000 miles on them w/o tread wear issue.

The problem I have with them is they follow every groove and imperfection in the road just like bias ply. I was not expecting that from a radial design. My best guess is that it's the bias tread pattern that is responsible. The shop who performed the alignment assures me it is not the alignment settings. However they specifically told me they did not use the factory settings I provided. Because these are radials they used their "special" settings that they use on street rods (they do a fair number of antiques and street rods).

 

[Ward 57]

Because redials have more sidewall flex than Bias Ply tires I run mine at 35psi, it also helps prevent rubbing on the skirts on turns.

 

[BudP]

I also run my radials at 35# with no skirt or tire wear issues.

 

[Ward 57]

I have those tires and run 28 all around. Have put almost 3,000 miles on them w/o tread wear issue.

The problem I have with them is they follow every groove and imperfection in the road just like bias ply. I was not expecting that from a radial design. My best guess is that it's the bias tread pattern that is responsible. The shop who performed the alignment assures me it is not the alignment settings. However they specifically told me they did not use the factory settings I provided. Because these are radials they used their "special" settings that they use on street rods (they do a fair number of antiques and street rods).

I guess I don't understand why the makeup of the tire would need a different setting on the caster, camber or toe. My car runs straight, wheel return is spot on and handles well on the factory specs. that I have not changed for over 35yrs.

 

[Pink T-Bird]

I guess I don't understand why the makeup of the tire would need a different setting on the caster, camber or toe. My car runs straight, wheel return is spot on and handles well on the factory specs. that I have not changed for over 35yrs.

Not sure why they would change drastically either, so I was surprised when he said to "throw out" the factory specs with radials on an older car...
I recall in my dad's shop we changed one of the wheel alignment specs "slightly" when a car owner switched to radials in the '70s. I want to say it was camber, but I'm not sure, and Dad's been gone many years so I can't ask him.
Guess I need to find a different shop, but these guys are the last one standing around here that will service old cars and street rods. On my car there is about 5/8" of shims on the rear upper control arm bolts and no shims on the front upper control arm bolts. Definitely not in agreement with the shop manual p. 4-4 that says no more than 1/8" difference in shim stacks front to rear. They have had some staff turn over and the guy who did my wheel alignment was relatively new to the shop.

 

[Ward 57]

Not sure why they would change drastically either, so I was surprised when he said to "throw out" the factory specs with radials on an older car...
I recall in my dad's shop we changed one of the wheel alignment specs "slightly" when a car owner switched to radials in the '70s. I want to say it was camber, but I'm not sure, and Dad's been gone many years so I can't ask him.
Guess I need to find a different shop, but these guys are the last one standing around here that will service old cars and street rods. On my car there is about 5/8" of shims on the rear upper control arm bolts and no shims on the front upper control arm bolts. Definitely not in agreement with the shop manual p. 4-4 that says no more than 1/8" difference in shim stacks front to rear. They have had some staff turn over and the guy who did my wheel alignment was relatively new to the shop.

Unfortunately old school common sense is lost on the newer generations where replace and go by the computer are the norm. Could you ask their justification from the severe deviation from the book? Street rods are a whole different breed of cat.

 

[swatson999]

When I got m,y 56, I replaced the very old bias ply tires that it came with, and put Diamondback WW radials on it. Then had it aligned *to the factory spec*. It's been trouble-free since...tracks straight, no wandering, etc., no scrubbing on the fender skirts (inflated to 34 psi).

Did you get the numbers for what they *did* set it to? Frankly, I'd have had them redo it to the specs (that is, do it right), and then (and ONLY then) would I deviate if there was anything that didn't feel right. And I'd find a different shop...

 

[Pink T-Bird]

Did you get the numbers for what they *did* set it to? Frankly, I'd have had them redo it to the specs (that is, do it right), and then (and ONLY then) would I deviate if there was anything that didn't feel right. And I'd find a different shop...

NO, he didn't say. He just said it's what they set all the old cars to when running radials. And frankly, besides being the only game in town for old cars, they have a great local reputation... I'm going to be taking my '58 Mercury there for 'on the car' wheel balance this week. They're the only shop in the county that can still do this as far as I can tell. I got new Goodrich Silvertown bias plys from Coker when they were on sale a while back. The the computer balance from the installing shop leaves something to be desired at freeway speed.
I'll ask what the radial alignment setting are while I'm there.

 

[Ward 57]

NO, he didn't say. He just said it's what they set all the old cars to when running radials. And frankly, besides being the only game in town for old cars, they have a great local reputation... I'm going to be taking my '58 Mercury there for 'on the car' wheel balance this week. They're the only shop in the county that can still do this as far as I can tell. I got new Goodrich Silvertown bias plys from Coker when they were on sale a while back. The the computer balance from the installing shop leaves something to be desired at freeway speed.
I'll ask what the radial alignment setting are while I'm there.

Do ask them WHY they deviate from the factory settings. Not 'that's just what we do'. What is the engineering basis behind it?
As far as balancing, I worked for a Goodyear factory store for a few years and I've seen most of it.
You have to remember the Coker tires and most of the other custom tires start with a brand name core and ad the wide whites to them not molded in from the manufactures. There are instances where the modification also alters the core.
Ask to watch the tire as it's spun balanced. I've seen many tires tread wobble in the process even when new. Sometimes it's just that the bead has not sealed evenly around the rim. Yah it's balanced but will never run true.

 

[swatson999]

He just said it's what they set all the old cars to when running radials.

Seriously? "All old cars". It may be that I'm an engineer, but that's BS. If there's a good reason for them ignoring the original specs as determined by the engineers at Ford, I'd have wanted to hear it.

Further, whatever they did for your "old car" clearly didn't work, so...so much for their "expertise" in the matter, IMO.

 

[willcarterdc]

I have Diamondback white walls on my ‘57. Usually run them at 34 all the way around, but noticed that I was getting a little bit of squealing from the rear on turns (even gentle turns), so I recently took the rears up to 36, which is what Diamondback customer service recommended.